The Raven's Waltz
by MeikoSakine
Summary: -ON HIATUS- Princess Ichigo Momomiya is a rich girl, who lives in the 1800s. Today is her 15th birthday, so she will need to get married. The man her father has picked is the nature freak Prince Aoyama, but at the masked ball, how will things turn out? A/U
1. Chapter 1

Boo! I have now finished year 8! I do have to attend classes, whihc is boring, as we just sit around for 6 hours...

I did choose to do art classes all day, so I decide to write a story! Here is a lovely Tokyo Mew Mew fanfic. It is set in England in the 1800's, please enjoy!

*Disclaimer* Does not own Tokyo Mew Mew, or it would be like this anyway!

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Princess Ichigo Momomiya sighed, and groggily sat up. She shook her head and looked at the calendar on her wall. She gasped as she realised what day it was.

She threw the covers off and jumped down off the bed, and put on her slippers. She opened her door, and carefully walked down the winding staircase. She pattered down the hallway, towards her parent's room. She flung the door open, and jumped onto there bed like she did when she was younger.

"Ichigo! Get off me! That was so not funny." Her mother, the queen, sat up after having her daughter jump on her. She must of caught sight of herself in the mirror, as she started to comb her red shoulder length hair with her fingers.

"Ichigo, stop, you're acting like 5 year old!" Her Dad, the king, sat up, and got out of the bed. He pulled on his dressing gown and went to the door. Princess Ichigo followed him; eager to find out what was downstairs.

She walked down the fancy staircase into the ballroom. Her father nodded to her mother, and she pulled a big white sheet off an object. Ichigo's eyes went wide as she saw the items underneath it.

"Happy birthday, princess!" Both her parents said at the same time. "Go on, open up your gifts!"

Ichigo giggle happily, and opened her first present. She had 15 presents altogether, one for each year she was alive. She gasped as her fingers brushed fine silken fabric. She pulled out a beautiful red dress that was slit up the front so that it would reveal a different colour underskirt. The bodice was two overlapping pieces, which could be sewn up with a red ribbon. The sleeves went down to her elbows, and had some white lace around the hems.

Ichigo squealed, and carefully folded it before opening her next present. This one was the matching underskirt, also made of fine silk. It was a darker colour then the dress, more of a wine red. It had some pretty gold embroidery, which really brought out the red colour.

This skirt followed the dress, folded up and put to the side. The next present was a pair of matching shoes, which were the same colour as the dress. Next was a necklace, with a red ruby as the pendant. Then was a pair of gloves, a crown with red beads and then a red ruby bracelet. She was amazed that all of the items matched. Clearly her parents had thought hard about this.

The rest of her presents consisted of mostly makeup, more jewellery and some perfume. She also got a small red teddy and a red mask, like the ones you would wear to a masquerade. The last present on the pile was an envelope, very small. She carefully opened it, and almost cried when she saw what was inside it.

It was two tickets to the masked ball. She had been asking to go for months, but when her parents had agreed to let her go, the tickets had been sold out. She looked up questionly at her father.

"They weren't really sold out, I just wanted to surprise my little girl." He started to tear up. "My little girl is growing up!"

Ichigo smiled, and pulled both her parents into a hug. "I love you both so much!" She cried.

"And we love you too! Now, we must tell you something important. But it is not time for breakfast, so lets go and eat." Ichigo's mother said. Her father nodded, and they all walked down to the dining room.

Ichigo sat down, and her favourite maid (and best friend) called Moe brought out her traditional birthday breakfast. Thick pancakes with strawberries in the batter, covered in strawberry sauce and the topped with whip cream and fresh strawberries. She giggled, and started to eat.

Her father cleared his throat, and started to talk.

"Princess Ichigo, as it is now your fifteenth birthday, you must know you are now of age to get married. We have chosen a boy for you, his name is Prince Aoyama. Tonight you will go to the ball with him."

Ichigo stopped eating, but did not talk. She did not like Aoyama very much, he was smart, and kind, but he always cared some much more about nature and his surroundings then the people around him. She did not want to get married to him, but she did not dare appose her father's words.

"Yes father. Will he be picking me up from here?" Ichigo swallowed and hoped her feelings could not be herd through her voice.

"Yes, he will. He will be here at seven, so I have arranged for your hair stylist to come over at five." Her father said, and then continued to eat. His Face was very gloomy, as if he did not want that to happen. Truth was, he hated Aoyama, and his family, He didn't want his filthy hands anywhere near his precious daughter, but his father had paid him a grand amount of money, and it was law that if a father paid a girls father, then she HAD to marry the son.

Ichigo finished up her pancakes, and went to the ballroom. She had Moe help her carry her stuff up to her room. Once that was done, she flumped down onto her bed, and moaned loudly.

"What's wrong, Princess?" Moe said, sitting down on the bed next to her. She had missed the whole conversation at breakfast.

"I have to marry Aoyama!" She cried into her pillow, and then rolled over. "I don't even like him! He cares more about his beliefs then anyone else!"

Moe blushed a bit, and the spoke up.

"If you don't mind me saying, Princess, I do kinda like Prince Aoyama. He is very smart, and also quite handsome. Most of the girls anywhere want to be with Him." She blushed a bright crimson, hinting at the fact that she liked him as well.

Ichigo picked up on this, and sat up.

"I know! If you like him, why don't YOU marry him? Just pretend you're my sister!" Ichigo clasped Moe's hands in hers. "Please?" She begged with her eyes.

"Ah, princess, you know I would love to help in anyway possible, but I really can't. If I were found out, I would most likely be thrown in the dungeons for posing as you. And I need to earn money to help my mother, you know that." Moe sighed, and looked sad.

"Oh, its okay Moe. I will just have to go and face it. Don't worry about it." Ichigo sighed sadly, but hugged Moe in a friendly hug.

"Anyway, Miss. Ichigo" Moe said fake-mockingly, "Most people wear day clothes by this time." Moe grinned as Ichigo went bright red, realising that she was still wearing her nightdress.

After changing, the day went pretty quick for Princess Ichigo. She painted for a bit, and then did some embroidery. She also baked a pie, all the things that a 'good wife' should know how to do. Buy the time it was 5 o'clock; she was a ball of nerves. She sat on her bed, and worried about what would happen.

There was a soft knock at her door.

"Come in!" Ichigo said, and the door opened to show her mother.

"Sweetie, the stylist is here, would you like me to send her up?" The Queen sat on Ichigo's bed, and stroked her daughter's hair. She was clearly upset at the

Thought of her daughter moving out with someone she had only met a few times. Ichigo let her mother stroke her hair for a bit, but then pulled her head away.

"Yes, please send her up." Ichigo nodded. The Queen sighed, and stood up. "Okay." She said, and left the room.

The hairstyle she chose was quite elegant. The top half of her hair was pulled up big, and then folded over the top of her head, while the bottom half of her hair was left free, but curled daintily at the ends.

Once her hair was done, Moe came up and helped her get dressed into the outfit she had received earlier in the day. She had to wear a corset, and this made her feel very lightheaded. Moe helped her put on the dress and underskirt, and then helped tie up her shoes. Ichigo pulled on her gloves, and put the red ruby pendant round her neck, and the matching bracelet round her wrist. The last think she fixed to her outfit was the crown, which she put on her head so that it leaned against the big bit of her hair.

She glanced at the clock. By now, it was quarter to seven. She gasped, and called back for the stylist to come and do her makeup. She choose a mimalist look, just black eyeliner, eyeshadow, lipstick and some blusher. It wasn't much, but with the complicity of the dress and accessories, it looked good.

She went downstairs, and sat in the living room closest to the front door. She waited.

When she heard the clip clop of horse's hooves, she knew that the carriage -and Aoyama - had almost arrived. She stood up, and checked herself over in the mirror.

When she was sure there was nothing hanging out, and her hair and makeup were perfect, She put the mask over her face, and decided to walk up to the top of the fancy main stairs, so she could descend then elegantly when the door was opened.

When she was in place, the doorbell went, and then there was knocking at the door. The butler opened it, and bowed to the 16-year-old prince.

The king came in, and greeted Prince Aoyama. He turned to the stairs, and nodded to the queen. She linked arms with Ichigo, and they began to descend the stairs. She could see Prince Aoyama's eyes light up. She blushed a bit.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs, She curtsied, and the prince bowed. Her mother handed her over to him, and curtsied.

"Please take good care of our daughter." Said the King through gritted teeth. "I hope you have a safe journey."

"Thank you sir. I promise I will return your daughter by twelve the same way she is now." He bowed one more, and took Princess Ichigo's arm in his.

He bid goodbye, and left with Ichigo.

She could swear she could hear her father grumbling.

The journey there didn't last very long, but it was silent, so it felt like it went on forever. Ichigo looked out of the window for most of the time, only looking back in when she felt eyes on her.

When they arrived at the palace where the ball was taking place, Aoyama put on his mask. They both got out of the carriage, and walked up to the palace doors.

Prince Aoyama gave Ichigo's tickets to the man at the door, and they went in. Music was playing casually, but there was not a dance on yet. There were various snack-like foods laid on a dinner table, but the main meal would come later, in the dining room. There were many people just chatting, so Ichigo and Aoyama decided to join them.

Ichigo was not so used to balls like this, so she just stood, waiting for someone to talk to her. Prince Aoyama had already gone off, and was now talking about nature with some of his fellow nature freak people. Ichigo was starting to get thirsty, so she walked over to the table, and went to pour herself some of the punch.

"Please, let me do that for you." Said a mysterious voice from behind her. Before she could turn, her glass was out of her hand, and this strange person was pouring the pink liquid into the cup for her. She blinked, but didn't try to stop the man.

When he turned to hand her the drink, she looked into his eyes. They were blue, but not normal blue. They were icy, and made her feel uncomftable. He had a mask in the shape of a raven's head on, and a large hat the covered most of his head. They only part of his face she could see was his mouth. He was dressed in a dark blue suit, which was very fancy and made out of silk.

She thanked him for the drink, drank it, and then went back to find Aoyama. She found him talking about the benefits of cleaning rivers. She rolled her eyes, and asked him to come with her so that she could dance. He agreed, and they went up onto the dance floor as a waltz started up.

They danced for a good half-hour, but then it was time to change partners for the next dance. Ichigo panicked, not knowing anyone. She decided to sit this dance out, and went to go get some more punch.

"You sure drink a lot." Ichigo turned, and saw the same man from before. She blushed, and continued to drink, ignoring his comment. He sighed, and tried to start a conversation again.

"I see were the only people not dancing. Do you want to come take a walk with me?" He said. Ichigo sighed. What harm could come from taking a walk with this man? She finished her drink, and nodded her head. He took her arm in his, and then led her outside.

They walked for a bit in silence, Taking in the grand gardens.

"So... What is your name?" Ichigo said. The man looked at her out the corner of his eye, but then looked back to the path.

"My name... I will only tell you if you tell me your name."

Ichigo blinked, and thought about it.

"My name is Princess Ichigo Momomiya." She said, using her full name. She suddenly felt the mans arm stiffen. "What's wrong?" She said, turning so she was looking at him.

"I am so sorry Miss Ichigo..." He said. Ichigo's eyes went wide, she screamed and then everything went black.

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Long chapter :)

Anyway, if you liked, please reveiw and I will write the next chapter :))


	2. Chapter 2

Hello! So, I am now on holiday! yay! I am going to London tommorow, so I am exited for that. Here is the next chapter that I wrote at my class today! Please enjoy :)

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The man with the mask picked up the young girl he had just knocked out. He felt bad, because she was so pretty and nice. But orders were orders, so he slung her over his back, and started to walk in the direction of the woods. As he walked, he could feel her breathing. He could smell her hair, which gave out a sweet scent he could not place his finger on.

Luckily, she was skinny so he could run while carrying her. He got to the dark castle in less then an hour. He knocked on the front door, and the butler opened it. He did not question why he was carrying a young girl, but let him through. He went straight up to his room, and set the still unconscious girl down on his large bed. He stroked her hair, and whispered in her ear:

"My name is Ryou."

He stroked her hair again, and then took of his mask. He got changed out of his blue suit, and went to go find his father.

He walked down the hallway, and gulped before knocking on the big, elaborately designed golden door. He waited for a couple seconds, and then the door opened.

"Come in, my son." Said his father, who was sat at the end of the long room behind a desk in a big, black chair. The curtains were all closed, and there were no lights apart from a few candles lit which made the room dark and eerie. Ryou bowed stiffly before talking.

"I have the girl. At the moment she is in my room recovering consciousness. I didn't think she would come with me..." He started.

"Well done! I finally have a son who I can trust to get the job done." He smiled fondly at his son.

"So, what do you actually want to do with her?" Ryou asked.

"Well, she is quite pretty as far as I have heard, so I plan to keep her as a maid for a while, but once she starts to get ugly, I will kill her and take her soul." His father replied, speaking of her like she was no better then goods. Ryou was disgusted.

"No!" He said, standing up to his father. "No! I will not let you touch her! I wont let her end up like Marion!" Both the men were surprised at his outburst. Ryou went back to kneeling, and looked down, ashamed.

"Well, you seem to like her, I will not kill her if you can make her fall in love with you. I swear on that." his father said, holing his hand over his heart.

Ryou swallowed and nodded. "Okay. I will do it."

"But if she's still not in love with you in 6 months time, then she is to suffer the fate I have set for her. Now, go back to her, she should be waking up soon. And you need to get some sleep. Its almost 12." Ryou nodded, and left the room.

He went back to his room, and climbed into the bed next to the still-unconscious girl. She looked so peaceful when she was asleep. He hoped she wouldn't be too much of a handful. He patted her head, and whispered:

"So, I have to get you to fall in love with me in less then a year." He frowned at the thought of what would happen if she didn't. He could not let her go he same way Marion had gone. He sighed as he thought about her. Thinking about her made him feel useless.

He started to worry about what he would say to her when she woke up. Luckily he didn't have to worry long, as the Princess started to mumble.

Ichigo opened her eyes. She remembered going to a party, and then getting a drink... there was then a man with a mask...

She rolled over into something soft. She cuddled into it for a moment. It was warm, soft, but it was also quite hard. She jumped back as she felt something beating from inside it. She slowly looked up, and saw a man with blue eyes and blonde hair looking at her curiously. She squeaked, and jumped off the bed.

"Who are you?" She asked, shuffling backwards until she was against the wall. Fear could clearly be seen in her eyes.

The man smirked, and tossed his hair.

"I, Princess Ichigo Momomiya, am the Dark Prince Ryou of the raven clan. It is a honour to be in your presence." Ryou got off the bed and bowed. Ichigo stood up.

"How do you know my name?" She said, still scared but a little confused.

"You told me yourself."

"No, I've never met you before!" She then gasped. Ravens. Raven mask. "It was you! You were the man at the ball! What did you do to me?" She was now angry, and felt like punching Ryou in face. Hard.

"So, you remember me now?"

"Yeah, but what did you do to me?" She was getting angrier now, and could feel her face going red.

"I had to knock you out. You see, my father wants you here, so he can make you do what he wants. And once he's done with you, he will eat your soul. He only likes to eat the souls of rich girls. He has 4 other girls here, and you can meet them tomorrow. Anyway, get into bed and get some sleep." Ryou replied, and patted the bed.

"Oh no, there is no way I am getting into that bed with you! I would rather die first!" Ichigo crossed her arms.

"Oh, if you don't want to sleep on the bed, you can sleep on the floor. Goodnight." Ryou got back into the bed and pulled the covers over him. He then rolled over and turned off the lamp.

After lying on the cold floor for a couple hours, Ichigo sighed in defeat and climbed into the bed with him.

The next morning, Ichigo was the first to wake up. She woke up to find that Ryou had wrapped his arms around her, and had her head under his nose. She squeaked, and jumped up. She realised she was still dressed in the outfit her parents had given her for her birthday. She frowned, and moved away.

Ichigo looked round the room, and saw that there was another door. She climbed off the bed, and walked over to it. She opened it, and found a small en suite bathroom.

She sighed, and decided to wash her hair. She went in, closed the door, and locked it. She found a large pink towel, some women's shampoo and also some body wash. She took her clothes off, and filled the bathtub. She climbed in, and started to scrub herself with a sponge she found with the women's toiletries.

Ichigo sighed, took a deep breath and sunk under the water. She stayed under and thought about what was going to happen. Would she really have her soul eaten? That would mean she would die. She suddenly had to breath. She jumped up and started gasping for air.

Ryou heard her and woke up. He went to the bathroom door and knocked.

"Are you okay in there?" He said. Ichigo nodded. It was a few seconds before she realised he couldn't see that. "Yes!" She replied, a little out of breath.

She finished washing her hair, and got out. She dried herself off, and then realised something. She had he clothes from yesterday, but none for today. She wrapped herself in the towel, and opened the door.

"Hey Ryou, what am I going to wear?" She stepped out of the bathroom. Ryou looked up at her. He looked for a split second more, and then jumped up at her with a growl.

"Where did you get that towel? You should have not touched it!" He now had her pinned up against the wall. She was confused. Why was he shouting at her?

"I.. I... Found it... In the cupboard..." Ichigo whispered. She was now scared of him. She was only wearing a towel, and he was shoving her up against the wall. A bead of sweat ran down her forehead as she silently prayed he would not do anything to her.

Ryou seemed to pick up on how scared she was. It took him a bit longer to realise why. He let go of her, but he was still angry. He walked over to the wardrobe, and pulled out a peasant's outfit. He threw it at her.

"Get dressed quick. And never let me see you touch something of Marion's again." He turned and left the room. Ichigo let her legs collapse on her, and sat on the ground. Who was Marion? She sounded like an old lover. Would she of suffered the same fate as Ichigo was going to?

Ichigo Got dressed into the coarse, cotton dress. She tied her hair up with the napkin, and tied the apron around her waist. She folded the towel carefully, and put it back in the wardrobe. Ichigo sat and looked at it for a while, trying to figure out who Marion was.

She sat there for so long, she didn't notice the door behind her open.

"Oh! Hello. You must be the new girl Prince Ryou picked up last night." Ichigo jumped and turned to see who had spoken. Standing behind he was a girl, with long green hair down to her waist, tied up into two plaits. She was wearing the same as Ichigo, but her apron had been hand-embroidered so it held a small picture of a green dolphin-like creature down in the corner.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Said Ichigo standing up.

"Oh, my name is Lettuce, but I don't like it so I go by Retsu. Nice to meet you. I am also one of the maids here. Well, that's a nice way to put it, but really we are slaves. I've been here since I was ten, and in the five years I've been here, another 3 girls also came, but you'll meet them later. Oh, my specialty is embroidery. Hence the porpoise on my apron." She pointed to the dolphin-thing that was a porpoise. "Anyway, we better get you down to the kitchen, were on cooking duty today." Retsu grabbed Ichigo's hands and pulled her out of Ryou's room.

Once they got to the kitchen, Retsu explained how everything worked.

"Okay, so today we are on kitchen duty, Minto and Pudding, who are the two youngest, are on cleaning duty, and Zakuro looks after the house, kinda like a head maid. We used to have Marion as well, but now we don't." Retsu looked sad while she spoke of this girl again.

"Oh, okay. Can I ask you a question?" Ichigo said.

"Sure, go ahead." Retsu said, smiling.

Ichigo took a deep breath. "Who was Marion?"

Retsu's smile faded, and she started to cry.

"Marion…" She started, trying to talk through her sobs. "Marion was my best friend. She grew up with me. When we were both younger, Prince Ryou's older brother kidnapped us. He brought us here when we were both only ten years of age." She sniffled, and carried on. "Prince Ryou was about fourteen at the time. He took a liking to Marion, and when Zakuro came when we were twelve, he would often take her out, leaving me and Zakuro to do all the work." Retsu reached for a hankie and blew her nose. "Then, about 6 months ago, she fell ill, and then the King took her soul not long after. She was always such a bright, happy girl. We were all upset, but Prince Ryou was the most heartbroken, he had loved her for five years. She had amazing red hair, just like yours." Retsu reached up and stroked a thick strand of Ichigo's hair.

"Oh…" Ichigo said, and pulled her new friend into a warm hug. "Im sorry I asked about her. Will you forgive me?"

"Of course, you didn't know." Retsu answered. She then pulled away from the hug.

"Anyway, we should start work." She said, wiping the remaining tears from her eyes.

"Yes!"

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There we go!

Marion is a OC, but she needs to exist (or not...) for some of the events :)

I will upload the next chapter if I get 5 reveiws! :)


	3. Chapter 3

Hello everyone!

This is the 1st chapter for this that I acctually wrote in my own home.. yay!

It took longer to write because I kept talking to Ho-Do-Sempai... lol. YukinaHikaHime is an epic person, and I really do love her stories ^.^

Anyway, please enjoy!

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Chapter 3

The first thing Retsu did was try to show Ichigo how to wash up.

"Here, you just put the thing in the first sink, scrub it and then put it in the second sink to rinse it, and then dry it with the towel. Okay?" Ichigo nodded, and attempted to copy what the green haired girl had just done.

Ichigo picked up the china cup from the breakfast tea, and went to dip it in the water. The second her fingers touched the liquid; she recoiled sharply, dropping the cup, which promptly shattered upon contact of the counter.

"Ouch!" cried Ichigo. "The water is hot!" She brought her hand up to her face to examine it. A small, red blister had started to form on the back of her middle finger. Retsu grabbed her hand, and looked at it.

"Don't worry. It's just a small blister. Here, I'll pop it, and then wrap it in a little cloth." Ichigo held her hand against her chest while Retsu loudly searched for cloth and a needle to prick her blister with. Once she had found the items, she took back Ichigo's hand.

"Now, this may hurt a little…" She said, dipping the needle into the hot water to sterilise it before quickly but gently pushing it into Ichigo's blistered skin. Ichigo let out a startled cry of pain, and then it was over, and Retsu was wrapping her finger in cloth.

"That hurt…" Mumbled Ichigo, holding her hand again.

"Well, maybe we won't try you with washing up again. Have you never had a hot bath?"

"Well, no, not really. My maid always made sure that it was a temperature that wouldn't burn my skin…" Ichigo fell short as she thought of her best friend, who she would probably never see again.

"Wow," replied Retsu. "Well, here the females all get thrown into the big baths, and if it's too hot you will have to lump it. This morning you were aloud to sleep in Prince Ryou's bed, and use his bath, but tonight, you will be sleeping in the maids' quarters with me and the other girls. Okay?"

Ichigo nodded. She had felt kinda dirty sleeping in the same bed as an older man.

"Anyway, I will show you how to make bread, since the started for dinner is a soup." Retsu walked over to a large counter in the middle of the room, and started gathering the ingredients to make it.

She then showed Ichigo how to do it, first putting in the ingredients, and then telling Ichigo to mix, and then knead it.

"But my finger!" Cried Ichigo.

"Yeah, but if we don't make it, we will be killed. It sounds a bit extreme, but it's true."

"So whether I live or die depends on this bread?" Asked Ichigo, looking down at the pile of flour, oil, salt and yeast.

"Well, put that way, pretty much yes." Retsu replied, smiling at Ichigo.

Ichigo nodded, and went back to kneading the dough, wincing at the pain in her finger at first, but then getting used to it.

While Ichigo kneaded, Retsu leaned up the broken cup, and continued washing the cups, plates and cutlery.

"Hey… Retsu?" Asked Ichigo.

"Mm?"

"How long does it take to knead?"

"Huh?"

"How much longer do I have to do this for?"

"Oh, about ten minutes."

"Okay." Ichigo went back to kneading the dough.

"Retsu?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"Everything."

"Okay then."

"And Retsu?"

"Yes?"

"Should we make lunch as well?"

"Oh, yes."

"Okay."

The two girls worked in silence, the sounds of clinking china, water and dough being kneaded filling the room.

After about ten minutes, Retsu was done, and she went to go rescue Ichigo.

"Now, we just cover it with this," Retsu put a towel over the bowl "And leave it to rise for about half an hour. The you can knead it all over again!" Retsu's laughed at the face Ichigo made. "Anyway, we should start lunch."

Ichigo nodded, and the two girls started to prepare the simple lunch: Cold meats, with some toast, a few cheeses, and some fruits. Kind-of like a picnic.

After half an hour, Ichigo kneaded the dough again, and then Retsu helped her put it into the bread tin, and they put it in the oven to bake.

When the clock struck one, they two girls put the meals onto the food cart, and went out to put the meals down in front of there respective person. Retsu then took Ichigo to stand at the left-hand side of the master (Prince Ryou's father) with 3 other girls, who were obviously Minto, Pudding and Zakuro. She decided the blue-haired one was Zakuro, because she had a snooty look, the orange haired one was Pudding, and the purple-haired one was Minto.

The five girls stood together, with two male butlers (On the right hand-side), Prince Ryou's father at the head of the table, Prince Ryou's older brother on his left-hand side (He looked like the Prince, but he looked older, and more mature.) and then Prince Ryou was sitting opposite his brother, on his Father's right-hand side.

Ichigo looked up at Prince Ryou, but quickly looked back at the floor when he glared at her. _'He must really hate me after this morning…' _She though, and tried not to let the tears that threatened to spill out.

The 3 men finished there meal, and left. Zakuro, Pudding, Minto and the two butlers left shortly after, leaving Ichigo and Retsu to take the dirty dishes back to the kitchen to wash.

The two girls put all of the dishes and cutlery on the cart they had used to bring the meals in, and left, back to the kitchen.

Ichigo took the bread out from the oven, and set it to cool. Under Retsu's instructions, she started preparing the vegetables and beef for the night's meal.

"My lord, when do I have a break?" Ichigo exclaimed, smiling at Retsu.

Retsu just laughed back.


	4. Chapter 4

Wow! I haven't looked at this in two years! But since I want to work on all of my fanfics and get them finished before starting new ones, I had to bite the bullet and write!

I think I will probably end up re-writing the first few chapters when I have time… lol xD

Anyway! Please enjoy, and if you like, please review!

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><p>Chapter 4<p>

That night, once all the work was done and finished for the night, Retsu took Ichigo to the servant baths. On the way there, they met up with the three other main servants, Zakuro, Pudding and Minto.

"Hey Retsu." Zakuro greeted the younger girl "Who's this? A new girl?"

"I'm Ichigo." Ichigo introduced herself "and yes. I'm a new girl here."

"Poor thing." Minto cut in with a snort.

"Don't be mean! Pudding likes your hair. Reminds Pudding of a girl she used to know!" The youngest, Pudding said. Ichigo smiled.

"It's nice to meet you all finally." She said "Even if it is under these sorts of circumstances."

They five of them headed down to the baths, got undressed and got in. Retsu had been right earlier, these baths were very hot. But Ichigo needed a bath, so she just had to deal with it.

When they were done, the girls took her back to their room. All together there were ten servants; the five girls and five male servants who never seemed to interact with them in anyway. Whether this was under orders from higher up or not, the girls would never know. Because of this, the five shared one room between them.

"This is my bed." Zakuro pointed to the first bed by the door "Next to that is Minto's, and then Pudding's." She pointed to the other side of the room "And that's Retsu's and your new bed."

"Did it belong to Marion?" Ichigo asked, and then wished she hadn't when Zakuro's face fell.

"Yes, it did." She said, and turned away "Anyway, we should all get ready for bed. We need to be up early tomorrow morning to set fires and make breakfast."

"Oh. Okay." Ichigo nodded slowly, and got changed into a nightgown. Once everyone was in bed, Zakuro put the lights out.

"Good night, everyone." She said. There was a chorus of good nights, and then silence.

Ichigo found it hard to sleep that night. The bed was hard, cold and she could feel the presence of someone else. All she could think about was her family, how sad they would be at finding her gone. Would they be sad? She hoped not. Would they look for her? She hoped so.

But then, just before she finally nodded off, a new thought fluttered into her mind. Who was this Marion really? Everyone kept saying they were very alike. Were they really that alike? Even Ryou had mentioned it to her.

Finally she drifted off into a sleep, full of dreams of her family and this mysterious Marion.

The next morning, Retsu woke her up. Ichigo was so groggy as a result of not getting much sleep, but she got up none-the-less.

"That time is it?" Ichigo asked as Zakuro put out a bowl of water for them to wash in. Retsu looked at the clock they had.

"It looks like quarter to five, but I can't it very well." She said "Ever been up this early?"

Ichigo shook her head. Her parent shad never believed in getting her up at the hour of the servant.

"Well get used to it." Minto snapped "We have to do it every day."

"Ignore her. Pudding does." Pudding added. Ichigo nodded. She wondered if the girl ever talked not in third person.

Once the girls were dressed, Zakuro instructed every one of their jobs for the day. Since Retsu and Ichigo were in the kitchen yesterday, today they were supposed to be on cleaning duty. But because Ichigo was new, Zakuro was taking cleaning duty and sending Retsu to take Ichigo into the village to buy groceries.

But first, everyone was to set fires in the rooms to warm them. Zakuro took the bedrooms and main rooms, Ichigo and Retsu the west wing and Minto and Pudding the right wing.

"This is all you do." Retsu said to Ichigo as they got to the first room "You take a bunch of this wood and put it in the grate, and then light it with the match." She did this, and Ichigo watched as the wood caught fire "You then make sure it burns, and then you can move on."

Ichigo watched Retsu do this five times, and then did it herself. She burnt herself the first time, but by the third she was an expert.

Less than an hour later, the girls were ready to start breakfast. Ichigo wondered what the male servants did in this time. She tried to ask Retsu, but she didn't know either. Since they had nothing to do in this time, they joined to others in the kitchen to help with breakfast.

"Ichigo!" Pudding called as the girls walked in "Could you fetch Pudding four eggs, please? Pudding needs them."

Ichigo nodded, and looked around for where the eggs would be. Retsu laughed.

"Eggs don't come from the kitchen." She said "They come from the barn. You'll need to go down there."

Ichigo nodded. She vaguely remembered how to get to the barn, and kindly rejected Retsu's offer to take her down.

Ichigo stepped outside, and breathed in the fresh air. It was nice to be outside again. She quickly walked across the yard, and down the steps carved into the hill side to the barn, which sat much lower than the rest of the house. When she got there, she opened the door.

She had never seen anything like it! Cows, sheep, chickens, even a goat! She had never seen so many animals in one place at once!

"Can I help you?" Someone asked, making Ichigo jump. She stepped backwards, and fell over her skirts. Just before she hit the floor, a rough calloused hand reached out and grabbed her, keeping her from hitting the floor hard. Ichigo looked up, and saw a boy, older than her with skin tanned dark from working in the sun. His eyes were dark brown, and so was his hair, which was curled in tight ringlets around his head. He helped Ichigo up.

"I'm sorry for scaring you." He said, and held out his hand "The name's Robin. I work with the animals down here."

"You work with the animals?" She echoed. He nodded.

"Yeah. Like milking the cows, sheering the sheep when it needs doing, and collecting eggs from the chickens."

"Oh!" Ichigo exclaimed "That's why I'm down here! I need some eggs for the breakfast."

"Of course." Robin smiled. He walked over to a box set in the wall, and opened the top. Inside were individual nests, each one with a few eggs inside "How many do you need?" He asked.

"Just four." Ichigo replied. Robin nodded, and picked up four eggs. He put them in a basket, and handed them to Ichigo.

"Here you go." He said "Fresh from the chicken."

Ichigo thanked him, and went to leave. Just before she could, Robin put his hand on her wrist. Ichigo turned, slightly surprised.

"Please come back." He said "It's so very lonely not having anyone to talk to down here. The other servants never come down here, apart from to collect eggs and milk. I would so love to have a chat with someone once in a while."

"I can't make any promises." Ichigo said, shaking her head and then smiling "But I can try. I remember Retsu said something about me having some free time later tonight. I'll come see you then."

Robin smiled.

"Please do." He said, and let Ichigo leave.

Ichigo made her way back to the house, and just before she entered the kitchen, she could feel eyes on her. She looked around, and saw Ryou looking at her out of a window on the second floor. When he saw her looking at him, he quickly turned and walked away from the window. Ichigo continued to look for a few more seconds, but then turned away, shaking her head.

She handed the eggs to Pudding, who thanked her with a hug. Ichigo then sat down to eat her own breakfast, a bowl of porridge. Once breakfast was finally ready, they took it out into the dining hall and stood around whilst the family ate, waiting on their every need. Once breakfast was all done with, the girls got to work with their jobs for the day.

Retsu and Ichigo put on shawls and caps, and picked up the baskets and money for the things they needed to buy. Zakuro had also left them a list of things they needed to get.

"Carrots, turnips, fish, pork and potatoes." Retsu read "Grapes, apricots, flour and sugar. The list goes on! We're going to be busy."

The two headed off. They walked down the steps cut into the side of the hill, since it was a quicker way than going down the main path. Ichigo couldn't resist looking at the barn.

"Hey, Retsu." Ichigo asked.

"Yes?"

"Do you know the boy who works in the barn?" She asked "You know, Robin?"

Retsu looked slightly surprised "No. There is no boy who works in the barn, and certainly not by the name of Robin." She kept looking at Ichigo.

The rest of the walk was in silence. In town, they visited the butchers, the fish mongers, the green grocers and the general store. On the way back, they were carrying so much stuff that Retsu piped up and said that they should take the long way back, since it would be easier to carry everything. Ichigo agreed.

Upon returning, they took the groceries to the kitchen, and helped to prepare lunch. After lunch, Zakuro gave Ichigo some spare time for two hours until dinner. Ichigo thanked her, and rushed quickly to the barn.

"Hello?" She asked as she opened the door "Robin? Are you here?"

Robin jumped down from the rafters, making Ichigo cry out in surprise. He shook his head, and laughed.

"I'm sorry for scaring you." He said, chuckling "I just couldn't help it."

Ichigo crossed her arms.

"I'm sorry." Robin said again "Come on, let's talk."


End file.
